BookFace

                      Oh my dear Facebook.  How I love thee, let me count the ways:

1. I love knowing random, useless tidbits about friends and family members.  No really, I do.  Makes me feel closer, connected.
2. I love looking at updated pictures, profiles and information.
3. I love seeing things I have in common with others, such as favorite T.V. shows, places to shop, eat, etc.
4. I love to stalk.  There.  I said it.
5. I love that I can ask for advice or tips and within seconds I receive several responses, personal experiences, reviews, pros, cons.  Love that a lot!
6. I love to see funny news stories, recipes, heart-warming messages all in one spot!
7. The Hide button.  Best most useful addition to FB.  Period.
8. Facebook is a fabulous way to advertise your business or to network.
9. Coming from a huge family I appreciate the instant communication.  For example my brother broke his leg a few weeks ago and I put it on FB.  All my siblings who live away from home instantly knew and were thus not "out of the loop" which is a common complaint in families with numerous children.
10. Did I mention the Hide button?

                   BUT.....my dear Facebook, there are some things I really don't love....

1. Ambiguous status updates.  Otherwise known as "Vaguebooking" (as my sister told me)  exhibit A:{Joe Schmoe now has no right arm.}  Whoa whoa whoa..WHAT?! Joe!  Please do tell!  What happened?  How in the heck? ARGH!!! And then hair-pulling soon follows.  If you are going to post it, explain it, if you don't want to explain then DON'T POST IT! 
2. TMI updates.  I'm not talking about baby poop or vomit or anything like that because as a mother I can commiserate and I find those updates amusing.  I am talking about quite literally...TOO MUCH INFORMATION.  I don't need to know what you had for breakfast, brunch, lunch, dunch and dinner.  I really, really don't.  I also don't need to know what your cat had for said meals.  Actually, I don't care about your pets at all, unless it's a funny story that I will truly appreciate, like how your dog ate your cat.  That's funny.
3. Shout outs for one person on status updates.  Exhibit B: { Lisa Smisha JENNY I WILL MEET YOU AT BURGER KING TOMORROW AT 11!}  Ummmm......k.  There are private messages and personal pages for that sorta thing.  Figure it out.
4. Updates that so obviously exclude other people.  No not like #3.  I'm talking about, "Oh my gosh best dinner date ever with the best friends ever, Joe, Trish, Nate, Ashley!"  Especially when you know you have friends that live nearby or are in your ward or whatever that will probably be hurt by not being invited.  I'm not saying this has happened to me but I have seen it happen to other people.  Have some tact facebookers.  This ain't high school anymore.
5.  Fighting on facebook.  'Nuff said.
6.  Mass facebook updates.  "Post this on your wall if you are a mother who loves her children." Barf.  I thought the days of chain emails and letters were long gone.  Apparently not.
7.  Friend requests from people in high school that I was never friends with before.  Pretty sure you just want to stalk my pictures.  Weirdo.  And pretend like you didn't just read #4 of my pro list.
8. Communicating with your spouse via Facebook (publicly of course).  "Honey how are you?  I love you so much.  Hope you are having a great day."  Double barf.
9. Aggressive, rude or embellished political status updates.  It's fine to be political, but compassion and understanding go a LONG way.  So does tact.
10. Last but not least, naked pictures of your kids.  It's the internet folks.  You post it, it's out there.  For everyone.  Anywhere.  Anytime.  Catch my drift?

What bugs you?

Doppelganger?

Alright, I'm just gonna say it. I was going to post an abbreviated version of my opinion on my facebook status but thought better of it because I'd rather not offend anyone. I'm becoming less and less a fan of these "doppelganger" pictures. True, I participated and offered up a picture of Kirsten Dunst in likeness to myself. Exhibit A:

But, I believe I have received this comparison enough times in my life by everyone for this picture to fit the true spirit of "doppelganger week" on facebook, where you post a photo of a celebrity that people have told you you look like, not that you hope you may look like. Dude, it looks like me, even I can admit it. However, may I argue that some people are being a tad generous with their supposed doppelgangers? I think so. This is not to say the actual individuals on facebook are ugly people, not at all. Many of them are attractive and everyone has their own beauty. But do I think you look like Megan Fox purely because you have dark, straight hair and green eyes? Sorry, no. When in fact I do see these unlikely comparisons, instead of thinking, oh yeah, that looks like her... most often I find myself thinking, well, I guess if I kind of squint really hard and maybe if I were wearing beer goggles.

I can understand and appreciate the "just for fun nature" that doppelganger week has taken on, and can play along as well as the next person. It's not that I'm bothered that these people would dare to think they look like a good-looking, although undoubtedly majorly photoshopped celebrity. But I have to chuckle a little bit (or sometimes a lot) to myself when I see some that are just so far off the radar. I mean, it's only fair, these people do offer up these comparisons of their own free choice for all of facebook world to see, right? If you're going to offer a celebrity that maybe/sorta looks like you, but in actuality points out that this celebrity is far better looking than you may ever be, you know what will happen, don't you? Public scrutiny will inevitably ensue, and that's obviously a gamble these people are willing to take.

So, to end my little rant, cheers to those with loads of self-confidence and who never assume the skeptical analysis of facebook friends like me. And Lindsay, I'll expect you to change your profile picture to Pamela Anderson, Carly to Gisele Bundchen, and Cindy to Heidi Klum.